The Teachings of Yuanwu Part 12: Out and Back

Wow, what a wonderful opportunity it has been to be working through this great book by Yuanwu! The tips and suggestions are practical ones that help us live a life with limited “entanglements.”

He writes, “Cut off the myriad entanglements, and make yourself free and untrammeled, and reach the stage of great peace (page 64).”[1] What a fantastic idea! Regardless of where you reside be it in the city, the country, or as we say in our prison ministry “behind the fence” there are just way too many entanglements in our lives. Most of them are created by ourselves. Some of them are put upon us by our bosses, rules, laws, and relationships for sure. But wherever they come from we have the ability to decide to focus on them or not.

Out and back he says! When you feel yourself being drawn out and away from your peace, right thinking, and joy you have the ability to bring yourself back. Just like the YouTube videos that I show in my classes. Sometimes I look at them and like them so much I go “back” to them again and again. I invite my students to keep going back to them until the principles are made part of how they think and behave.

What videos are you playing in your head each day? When you are sitting do you go back and forth between calmness and fidgeting and mind wandering. Yuanwu says, “If you are suddenly dragged off by it, you have leaked and tarried. You must continue to concentrate so that your mind does not wander off. After a long time, it will fuse into one whole. This at last is where you find rest (page 65).”[2]

So, do not chastise yourself when your mind wanders and draws you away from your peace, contemplation, or mindfulness. Hold on to his words that you must continue to concentrate, bring yourself “back” from wherever you have gone and simply start again. No judging, name calling, or condemnation. Just out and back, out and back ad infinitum if need be.

This brings to mind the last time I was on a swing—out and back I went over and over. Sometimes my feet had to touch the ground so I could give myself a little push which propelled me into the air toward the open sky and clouds. How free I felt, how filled with glee I felt as I flew through the air, out and back, out and back into the “stage of great peace.” Free at last from my entanglements! So just keep swinging out and back and watch what happens!